Elimination alkyne synthesis

An alkyne is a hydrocarbon that contains a carbon-carbon triple bond. Alkyne carbon atoms are sp-hybridized, and the triple bond consists of one sp-sp a bond and two p-p tt bonds. There are relatively few general methods of alkyne synthesis. Two good ones are the alkylation of an acetylide anion with a primary-alkyl halide and the twofold elimination of HX from a vicinal dihalide. 

As discussed in Section 11-6, alkenes can be prepared by E2 reactions of haloalkanes. Application of this principle to alkyne synthesis suggests that treatment of vicinal dihaloalkanes with two equivalents of strong base should result in double elimination to furnish a triple bond. 

The stereochemistry of the intermediate haloalkene is of no consequence when the sequence is nsed for alkyne synthesis. Both E- and Z-haloalkenes eliminate with base to give the same alkyne. 

Stereodefined alkenes are ubiquitous structural motifs in many natural products and pharmaceutics, and, moreover, they serve as a foundation for a broad range of chemical transformations. Nowadays, carbonyl olefination, elimination, alkyne addition, alkenylation, and alkene metathesis constitute the most widely used methods for the stereoselective synthesis of various alkenes [1-3]. Whereas no single method provides a universal solution to stereoselective alkene synthesis, the olefination reactions of aldehydes and ketones with phosphorus-stabilized carbon nucleophiles have enjoyed widespread prominence and recognition owing to their simplicity, convenience, complete positional selectivity, and generally high levels of geometrical control [4-9]. 

Hydrazoyl halides are useful reagents for the synthesis of pyrazolines and pyrazoles (80JHC833). The elimination of HX, usually with triethylamine, is now the preferred method for the generation of the nitrilimine (621) in situ. Although in some cases it is not clear if the mechanism involves a nitrilimine (621) (as for example in the Fusco method in which sodium salts of /3-diketones are used), in other reactions it is the most reasonable possibility. For example, the synthesis of pyrazolobenzoxazine (633) from the hydrazoyl halide (631) probably occurs via the nitrilimine (632). Trifluoromethylpyrazoles (634) have been prepared by the reaction of a hydrazoyl halide and an alkynic compound in the presence of triethylamine (82H(19)179). 

The ring system can be generated by D-A addition of a substituted cyclopentadienone and an alkyne. A reaction sequence involving addition followed by CO elimination can be used for the synthesis of highly substituted benzene rings.308... 

Recently, Larock and coworkers used a domino Heck/Suzuki process for the synthesis of a multitude of tamoxifen analogues [48] (Scheme 6/1.20). In their approach, these authors used a three-component coupling reaction of readily available aryl iodides, internal alkynes and aryl boronic acids to give the expected tetrasubsti-tuted olefins in good yields. As an example, treatment of a mixture of phenyliodide, the alkyne 6/1-78 and phenylboronic acid with catalytic amounts of PdCl2(PhCN)2 gave 6/1-79 in 90% yield. In this process, substituted aryl iodides and heteroaromatic boronic acids may also be employed. It can be assumed that, after Pd°-cata-lyzed oxidative addition of the aryl iodide, a ds-carbopalladation of the internal alkyne takes place to form a vinylic palladium intermediate. This then reacts with the ate complex of the aryl boronic acid in a transmetalation, followed by a reductive elimination. 

Otera and coworkers developed an alternative procedure to the Julia method for generating dienes or alkynes in the same reaction by the double elimination of /J-acetoxy or /1-alkoxy sulphones with potassium /-butoxide (equation 58)98,99. The reaction pathway leading to the diene or an alkyne depends on the substrate structure and the reaction conditions. If an allylic hydrogen is present in the substrate then diene is formed, otherwise, the alkyne is the product of the reaction. This modified Julia methodology has een applied to the synthesis of vitamin A (equation 59)100, alkaloids piperine (equation and trichonine (equation 61)102. 

Based on his previous work on the catalytic double addition of diazo compounds to alkynes173 using Cp RuCl(COD),174 Dixneuf has developed an efficient one-step synthesis of alkenyl bicyclo[3.1.0]-hexane derivatives of type 163 from enyne precursors 162 (Scheme 43). The catalytic cycle starts with the formation of an Ru=CHR species. It then adds to an alkyne to form ruthenacyclobutene 166, which evolves into vinylcarbene 167. [2 + 2]-Cycloaddition of 167 gives ruthenacyclobutane 168. The novelty in this transformation is the subsequent reductive elimination to give 170 without leading to the formation of diene 169. This can be attributed to the steric hindrance of the CsMes-Ru group. 

Malacria and co-workers76 were the first to report the transition metal-catalyzed intramolecular cycloisomerization of allenynes in 1996. The cobalt-mediated process was presumed to proceed via a 7r-allyl intermediate (111, Scheme 22) following C-H activation. Alkyne insertion and reductive elimination give cross-conjugated triene 112 cobalt-catalyzed olefin isomerization of the Alder-ene product is presumed to be the mechanism by which 113 is formed. While exploring the cobalt(i)-catalyzed synthesis of steroidal skeletons, Malacria and co-workers77 observed the formation of Alder-ene product 115 from cis-114 (Equation (74)) in contrast, trans-114 underwent [2 + 2 + 2]-cyclization under identical conditions to form 116 (Equation (75)). 

A useful synthesis of alkynes and particularly of terminal ( )-enynes results from the insertion of the readily formed ( )-l,2-dichloro-l-lithioethene (68) into organozirconocene chlorides (Scheme 3.17). An intermediate ( )-2-chloroalkenyl zirconium species 69 undergoes anti-elimination of zirconocene dichloride to yield terminal alkynes 70 [38]. 

Larock and co-workers described the one-step Pd-catalyzed reaction of o-haloanilines with internal alkynes to give indoles [385, 386]. This excellent reaction, which is shown for the synthesis of indoles 303, involves oxidative addition of the aryl halide (usually iodide) to Pd(0),. vyw-insertion of the alkyne into the ArPd bond, nitrogen displacement of the Pd in the resulting vinyl-Pd intermediate, and final reductive elimination of Pd(0). 

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